Federal Prison Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Surviving the Federal Bureau of Prisons

by Christopher Zoukis

Overview

Incarceration can be cruel for prisoners and their loved ones. Learn what to expect and make the best of this time by staying safe and building a life behind bars. The Federal Prison Handbook teaches everything you need to know to protect yourself and survive the system, compiled by a college-educated federal inmate turned corrections consultant. This insider's view of the unknown world will guide you through the mental stresses of confinement, and keep you physically safe by explaining how to avoid the near-constant conflicts found inside federal prisons in the United States today.The Federal Prison Handbook is the definitive guide to surviving incarceration in federal prison. This handbook teaches individuals facing incarceration, prisoners who are already inside, and their friends and families, everything they need to know to protect themselves and their rights.The thorough information was compiled by Christopher Zoukis, who has first-hand experience with the federal prison system, as Zoukis served 12 years in prison as a young man, and is now the Managing Director of the Zoukis Consulting Group, a boutique federal criminal justice consultancy which assists federal criminal defense attorneys, criminal defendants, federal prisoners, and their families understand life inside the Federal Bureau of Prisons. His insider's view of this obscure world guides readers through the mental stresses of confinement.Zoukis also keeps readers physically safe, by explaining how to avoid the near-constant conflicts found inside federal prisons.In detailed chapters broken down by topical area, readers discover:-What to expect on the day you're admitted to prison, and how to greet cellmates for the first time-What to do about sexual harassment or assault-The best ways to avoid fights, and the options that provide the greatest protection if a fight cannot be avoided-How to access medical, psychological and religious services-How to communicate with the outside world through telephones, computers, and mail-What you can buy in the official commissary and the underground economy-How to avoid scams, schemes, theft, and other problems-A comprehensive analysis of Federal Bureau of Prisons policy and regulatory guidelines-And much more!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780692799734
Publisher:	Middle Street Publishing
Publication date:	01/22/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	522
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.05(d)

About the Author

Christopher Zoukis, an award winning incarcerated writer, is the author of "College for Convicts" (McFarland & Co., 2014), the "Prison Education Guide" (Prison Legal News Publishing, 2016), and the "Federal Prison Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Surviving the Federal Bureau of Prisons" (Middle Street Publishing, 2017). He regularly contributes to The Huffington Post, New York Daily News, and Prison Legal News, along with a number of other print and digital media outlets. In January 2017 he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Business/Law) from Adams State University. He is currently attending Adams State University's MBA program. Mr. Zoukis regularly advises attorneys, prison consultants, and fellow prisoners about legal issues and federal regulations governing the Federal Bureau of Prisons operations. Upon his release he plans to attend law school and become a federal criminal defense attorney. Having served time at different security levels, Mr. Zoukis hasn't just heard about what others need to know, he has lived it. From a "gladiator school" youth detention facility to a medium-security federal prison and time in solitary, he has survived some of the worst federal prison could throw at him. He created the "Federal Prison Handbook" to help others survive . . . and even thrive while behind bars. He can be found online at http://www.prisonerresource.com, http://www.prisoneducation.com, and http://www.christopherzoukis.com.

Editorial Reviews

2017-04-07
An ambitious guide examines the federal prison system. This book's subtitle is deadly serious and thoroughly warranted. From the outset, Zoukis (Prison Education Guide, 2016, etc.) mounts a convincing case regarding mass incarceration and the changing demands of prison populations, thereby underscoring the need for this project. The author has been an inmate since 2006 and provides an insider's view often missing from discussions of the federal prison system. The helpful italicized tips that appear frequently throughout the text are based on considerable experience, observation, and research. But the most sustained first-person account lies in the chapter devoted to the heightened restrictions and indignities of the Special Housing Unit. Zoukis tackles a wide array of challenging issues, such as communicable diseases, mental health, suicide, substance abuse, violence, gangs, and sexual assaults. The densest chapter focuses on the Inmate Discipline Program, examining incidents that occur on the inside. As he does consistently throughout the book, Zoukis breaks down the bureaucracy, explains the processes involved, and offers advice—in this case, how best to represent and defend oneself, whether innocent or guilty of the charges. Beyond the handbook's obvious appeal to future and current inmates, the author correctly asserts that it is also useful for friends and family, legal professionals, prison staff, and students of the criminal justice system. For example, in addition to a separate chapter on visitation procedures that should greatly benefit loved ones, Zoukis suggests that, in the event of an emergency on the outside, friends and family members should communicate directly with the chaplaincy staff, request a return call from the inmate within 24 hours, and repeat this procedure if necessary. Given that the stated goal of the prison system is rehabilitation, the author presents the advantages and disadvantages of different work assignments as well as the opportunities available for education, entertainment, recreation, religious services, and legal research. Zoukis manages to compile, organize, and annotate an astonishing amount of data in a way that should satisfy all readers. At the end of this impressive manual, he directly addresses new inmates: "As you stand at that prison gate awaiting entry into a culture to which no one wants admission, what choice will you make? Will you choose success or failure?" This comprehensive handbook goes a long way to answering those questions. An indispensable work that features essential information about federal prisons.

Kirkus Reviews